Float for floating structures



April 1965 H. B. SHEFFIELD FLOAT FOR FLOATING STRUCTURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 29, 1963 INVENTOR. HAROLD B. SHEFFIELD April 20, 1965 H. B. SHEFFIELD FLOAT FOR FLOATING STRUCTURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 29, 1963 United States Patent P 3,179,076 FLOAT FOR FLOATING STRUCTURES Harold B. Sheliield, San Rafael, Calif., assignor to H. Koch & Sons, Corte Madera, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Jan. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 254,691

3 Claims. (Cl. 114-.5)

This invention relates to a float for floating structures, and is a continuation in part of my co-pending application for Marine Float, Serial No. 68,394, filed November 10, 1960, now Patent No. 3,102,503. The important feature of the herein invention is that it provides individual floats which need no painting or maintenance, and which are resistant to gasoline, oil, dry rot, marine borers and other destructive elements, andwhich have great flexibility in adaptation and use in floating structures of various types, shapes and sizes such as docks or platforms as illustrated in my said co-pending application, and which obviate completely recurring maintenance costs, unsightly weathering, splintering and wear.

A specific feature of the invention is to provide a float made of fiberglass material which is double-keeled and adapted to be quickly provided with an interior balast for suitable buoyancy, improving the stability of the float, and which is completely enclosed and is completely waterproof, and the top plate of which is sufliciently solid and firm to form a deck or part of a deck or walking surface or platform without the need for additional super structure.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a deck plate or floor plate for floats or the like which are made out of a stiff plate or material, such as a sheet of plywood of suitable thickness, completely surrounded by and embedded in a fiber glass reinforced plastic jacket so as to prevent deterioration of the filler plate from moisture or from any other destructive exposure.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a deck plate or support plate which could be used as a cover for floats, which has a rigid plate of suitable material therein completely embedded in and surrounded by plastic material such as fiber glass reinforced plastic which is provided with integral friction projections on the wearing surface thereof, said projections being arranged in such manner as to provide drainage into intercommunicating channels and thereby provide a deck which is self-draining and which is anti-fouling because the dirt that might be clogged between the ridges or elevated areas is washed out with the drainage.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following specification, and as defined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts as described in the said specification, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a float constructed in accordance with my invention provided with an integral deck plate.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the float showing it with an illustrative embodiment of mounting means for combining such float with other floats in a structure, the section being taken, along and through one of the flanges of a float so that the float itself is shown in side view.

3,179,076 Patented Apr. 20, 1965 FIG. 3 is a perspective fragmental view partly in section of a deck plate.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the float and its deck plate, the section being taken substantially through the center plane of the float.

The float herein is a hollow solid impervious and i111- perforate fiber glass body 1. Fiber glass as used herein refers to plastic material reinforced by fiber glass. The four sided float is formed with a pair of spaced keels 2. In other words the flat plane bottom portion of the float is indented so that a recess 3 is formed across the middle thereof dividing the area into a pair of separated ballast chambers 4, as shown in FIG. 4. The walls of the recess 3 prevent the shifting of the base portion of the ballast from one keel chamber 4 to the other.

The inside space of the float otherwise is unobstructed and undivided by any separating wall. The bottoms 6 of the ballast chambers 4 are in registry and on the same level. The outer side walls 7 of the float are inclined outwardly and upwardly from the bottoms 6 to a height above the top of the recess 3 at which level all the sides 7 of the float are turned outwardly to form a ledge 8 and then are again inclined upwardly and outwardly to the top of the float.

From the upper edges of the sides 7 extend outwardly on all four sides of the float horizontal flanges 9. i All the flanges 9 are on the same plane so that a top may be secured on said flanges to seal the interior of the float airtight.

A flat top 11 is integrally secured to the flanges 9 to form a unitary support deck and float. The top 11 is formed by a solid plate 12, in the present illustration a ply wood board of suitable thickness for the desired rigidity. This plate 12 is molded into a pocket 13 formed between the wearing top face 14 and the inside or bottom face 16 of the top 11. The edges of the tiller plate 12 are confined and covered by the end or corner portions 17 of the top 11. Thus the plate 12 is completely and tightly confined in and surrounded by, the fiberglass plastice material and thus fully protected from deterioration by moisture or other influences from the outside. The bottoms 6 and the recess 3 are parallel with the plane of the top edges of the sides 7 and with the flanges 9 and with the flat top 11. The cross-sectional. area of the ballast chambers and the spaced keels formed thereby are the same throughout the entire length or area of the respective keel.

Securing flanges 18 extend downwardly from each corner 17 on all four sides of the top 11. The plate 12 is of such dimensions that it extends on all four sides substantially over the horizontal flanges 9. The securing flanges 18 of the top are so spaced as to extend downwardly in contact with the outer edges of the respective horizontal flanges 9. Suitable plastic cement 19 is provided for integrally uniting the bottom face 16 and the corners 17 with the respective horizontal flanges 9.

The unit can be used as a float for various purposes. For instance when used in a floating structure of the type illustrated in my said co-pending application, longitudinal stringers 21 may be bolted to the vertical flanges 18 which extend below the horizontal flanges 9 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Inner stringers 22 may be bolted to the longitudinal stringer 21 to form a shoulder 23 on each side on which shoulder rest the lower edges of the securing flanges 18. In the illustrative embodiment the stringers are spaced apart by tubular bracers 24 held on bolts 26 secured to the stringers by nuts 27 on the opposite ends thereof.

When the top 11 is utilized as a spacer plate or deck plate between adjacent floaters as illustrated in FIG. 2, then thesecuring flange 18 of the deck plate is bolted i or the like.

to the adjacent securing flange 18 of the top of the float by suitable bolts 28 as shown in FIG. 2.

The top 11 has a tapered hole 31 formed by fiberglass plastic for the protection of the plate 12. Into the hole 31 fits a tapered plug 32 with a head 33 nesting in a counter-sunk recess 34. The ballast 36 is poured into the float through the hole 31 so as to achieve a desired balance and a desired degree of immersion under a given load. After this balance is determined, the plug 32 is fixed in the hole 31 by suitable cement or the like.

The top surface is provided with a system of friction elementsarranged in a self-draining pattern. This is accomplished by providing such elements in individual groups 37 raised above the top face 14. Each group 37 is on a generally rectangular raised base and is formed by alternate generally parallel ribs 38 and grooves 39 so that the bottoms of the grooves 39 are above the top face 14 and discharge liquid from the grooves 39 onto the top surface. The groups 37 are spaced from one another so as to provide contiguous inter-communicating channels 41 between the groups 37 to all the edges of the surface of the top 11. The ribs 38 of each group are at an angle relatively to the ribs 38 of the adjacent groups so as to distribute the discharge of liquid from said grooves 39 directionally all over the said top surface.

A float as herein described permits the use of dry ballast which can be poured in through the hole 31, such as sand or fine particles, which distribute themselves so as to fill ballast channels 4, thus permitting the balanced distribution of ballast in the float, although the float top is sealed integrally upon the float body. This structure also permits the use of such floats without the necessity for separate Wearing surfaces such as deck plates The float structure permits the accurate regulation of the degree of immersion of the float in Water under theexpeoted load. The shape of the float body is such that the displacement increases proportionately with the immersion under a load. Deck plates or floor plates made as herein described will provide rigidity and firmness coupled with the protective and good quality of fiberglass plastics so that deterioration of the filler plate 12 is positively obviated.

I claim: 1 p

1. A floatfor floating docks, platforms and the like, comprising (a) a hollow imperforate body having a top and a bottom,

(11) the sides of said body being inclined and diverging toward the top thereof,

() an outwardly projecting ledge formed all around said body spaced from the top thereof,

(d) tre portion of the body between said ledge and the bottom of said body being divided by a recess formed in said bottom into a pair of parallel hollow ballast keels,

(2) said keels being parallel with the top of the body throughout their entire length and being of generally uniform cross sectional contour,

(f) and a dack plate secured on the top of said body.

2. A float for floating docks, platforms and the like comprising (a) a hollow imperforate body having a top and bottom and four sides diverging toward the top,

(b) an outwardly projecting ledge formed around said body spaced from said top,

(0) the portion of the body between said ledge and the bottom of said body being divided by a recess formed in said bottom parallel with the respective sides of the body thereby to form a pair of parallel ballast keels of uniform cross section,

(:1) and a deck plate secured to the top of said body.

3. The float defined in claim 2, and

(e) the said body being made of fiber glass reinforced plastic,

( 1) outwardly extended securing flanges on the top edge of said body,

(g) said deck plate being secured to said flanges and being made of fiber glass reinforced plastic.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,435,394 11/22 Hothersall 22042 X 1,900,319 3/33 Ver Meulen. 2,190,211 2/ 40 Lavallee 94-5 2,422,818 6/47 Bamberger 114-66.5 2,614,399 10/52 Roethel 220-63 X 2,651,978 9/53 Causey 94-5 2,858,118 10/58 Perkins 22042 X 2,879,735 3/59 Pointer 114-5 3,046,926 7/62 Miller 114-61 3,056,525 10/62 Deinert 22042 3,083,665 4/63 Steidley 114-.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,159,184 2/58 France. 1,169,968 9/58 France.

477,213 12/37 Great Britain. 480,460 2/ 38 Great Britain. 821,618 10/59 Great Britain.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Examiner. 

1. A FLOAT FOR FLOATING DOCKS, PLATFORMS AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING (A) A HOLLOW IMPERFORATE BODY HAVING A TOP AND A BOTTOM, (B) THE SIDES OF SAID BODY BEING INCLINED AND DIVERGING TOWARD THE TOP THEREOF; (C) AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTING LEDGE FORMED ALL AROUND SAID BODY SPACED FROM THE TOP THEREOF, (D) THE PORTION OF THE BODY BETWEEN SAID LEDGE AND THE BOTTOM OF SAID BODY BEING DIVIDED BY A RECESS FORMED IN SAID BOTTOM INTO A PAIR OF PARALLEL HOLLOW BALLAST KEELS, (E) SAID KEELS BEING PARALLEL WITH THE TOP OF THE BODY THROUGHOUT THEIR ENTIRE LENGTH AND BEING OF GENERALLY UNIFORM CROSS SECTIONAL CONTOUR, (F) AND A DACK PLATE SECURED ON THE TOP OF SAID BODY. 